Month-old baby dies as heavy rain continues in Odisha, downpour to go on for 24 hours
The Odisha government has declared the rain as state-specific disaster.
A month-old baby died in Odisha’s Balasore district after a house collapsed amid heavy rain in the state on Friday. A depression, or low-pressure area, over the Bay of Bengal is triggering the downpour, which is expected to last another 24 hours, PTI reported.
The state government declared the rain as a state-specific disaster in the local context, The Hindu reported. This enables the administration to undertake relief measures through the State Disaster Response Fund, Odisha’s Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi told the English daily.
By Thursday evening, the depression had crossed the Odisha coast, close to Paradip, the India Meteorological Department said. It is expected to travel towards West Bengal and the North Eastern states and gradually weaken on Friday, The Hindu reported.
Twenty-five blocks across eight districts have received very heavy rainfall ranging from 135 mm to 274 mm since Thursday.
Fishermen have been warned to not venture into the sea.
Heavy rains recorded in 25 blocks of 8 districts in past 24 hrs; maximum 274 mm rain recorded in Kanas block of #Puri #Odisha pic.twitter.com/6hqQQ6zJtM
— OTV (@otvnews) October 20, 2017
Rainfall is also likely in Mizoram, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, East Jharkhand and East Bihar on Friday.